Method of making felt shoes.



J. A; GREEN.

METHOD OF MAKING FELT SHOES.

APIPLIOATION FILED JUNE 8, 1912.

- Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. A. GREEN. METHOD OF MAKING FELT SHOES.

APPLICATION nun mm: a, 1912.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-BEBE! 2.

A 700147 021 Jmee ll. 4' saw.

6 affvr negll UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. GREEN, O1 DOLGEVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DANIEL GREEN ramp snore company, or BOSTON,

MASSACHUSETTS,

NASSACHUSE ZS, A- CORPORATION OF m-119 Q1 MA NG ELT SHOE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 19 3,

Application filed June 8, 1912. Serial No. 702,389.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. Green, a citizen of the United States, and a resldent of Dolgeville, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Felt Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in methods of manufacturing felt shoes 1n which the vamp and upper are composed of felt or other shrinkable material and the sole is composed of leather and in which there is also a padded insole such as is shown and described in the William R. Green Patent No. 894,733 of July 28, 1908.

The object of my invention is, among other things, to improve upon the methods of constructing such felt shoes by wh1ch there may be eliminated the sewed ridge alon the inner thread of the shoe and to avoi -the use of hand sewing which is now required in uniting the inner felt sole to the upper in shoes or slippers made in accordance with the William R. Green Patent No. 894,733.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a felt shoe or slipper made according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a ortion of the shoe or slipper taken on the ine 33 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. his a top plan view'or detail of .the sole with the paddlng thereon; Fig. 5 is throughout the several figures.

Referring now to the details of the drawings, 10 is the upper composed of felt or other shrinkable material and cut so as to form the upper part of a shoe or slipper and stitched at the rear part thereof at 11, as shown in Fig. 1. A

12 is a separate piece or welt sewed in at the heel and at the bottom of the stitching 11 so as to form a pocket for a heelad to be inserted therein when the shoe is ormed and completed.

13 is the sole composed preferably of leather and cut to-the sha e and size reuired by the length and wldth of the felt s 0e or slipper proper.

15 designates the line of stitching in securing the welt 12 to the upper 10.

16 is the inner felt sole or sock lining which forms the inner tread of the shoe and is stitched to the lower edge of the upper and upper edge of the welt 12 throughout its entire extent.

1? is the-heel-pad which forms what is known as a sprin heel this heel-pad being cut to the size 0 the heel and inserted in the pocket formed by shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

14 is the stitching, preferably zig zag in the spring welt 12 as" the u per and the edge of the inner sole or sock ining. A second line of stitching 14 unites the outer sole 13 to the upper and sock lining and to the welt along the heel, as shown in Fi s. 1 and 2.

18 is a sti ening inner sole or holder composed of buckram or other similar material, upon which is secured a soft pad of carded wool 19 which extends over the entire sole 13 except a suitable margin, as shown in Fig. 4, to allow the upper and spring welt to be sewed to the sole 13. This padd1ng19 forms a cushion insole for the felt shoe or slipper and is covered throughout by the inner felt sole or sock lining 16 and lies below the spring heel pad 17 as shown in Fig. 3.

20 is the last with a hollow bottom, as

shown in Fig. 6, extending throughout the length of the last and forming a concave recess within which the padding 19 and the.

sock, lining 16 may be forced upwardly whenthe shoe is dampened and wetted and placed upon the last so as to shrink to give it the desired form and finish.

My improved method which is shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive is practised as follows :The upper 10. is stitched along the rear at 11 and then the inner felt sole 16 and the spring welt 12 are stitched to such upper along the lower edge of theupper and the upper edge of the welt 12 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this being done preferably by cross-stitching 15 and can be accomplished by machinery. The edge of the in sole 16 is united to the lower edge of the upper 10 forward of the welt 12 by the I upper 10 and lower edges. tion shown in Fig. 5.

zigzag stitching 1% as shown in Fig. 1. 1 next take the stifiener of buckram 18 and stitch to it the carded wool padding 19 and then glue or cement the buckram stiflener 18 to the leather sole 13, as shown in Fig. 4. The two separate parts are now placed in union with each other so as to form the shoe and the heel pad 17 is inserted in the pocket formed for it by the welt 12 and the whole is exteriorly stitched at 14: throughout the entire extentot the sole, thereby uniting the outer sole 13, with its carded wool padding attached, to the the spring welt 12 along their (lihe shoe is now in the condi- The upper is now thoroughly dampened or wetted by plunging the same-in water and while still being wet a hollow bottom last 20 is inserted within the interior parts of the shoe which stretches somewhat the upper and forces-the inner padding or-cushion sole 19 with its sock lining upward into the concave recess of the last and allowed to dry.- During the process of drying the felt upper shrinks to such an extent as to give shape and contour to the upper of the shoe and to allow the inner tread ot the sole to be rounded while the outer sole 13 or bottom of the shoe is substantially flat. lhe last is now removed and it will be observed, as shown in Fig." 6, that no ridge or creasing exists along the inner tread of the shoe, which in and my improved method therefore prolongs the life of the shoe because there is no seam to be worn and also. adds greatly to the comfort of the wearer by avoiding any such protruding seam or ridge to press against the bottom of the foot.

lt will'be observed that the object or my improved method is accomplished by forming the that after being properly wet and drawn over a hollow bottom last and allowed to dry the shoe assumes the exact contour of the last because of the shrinking of the fibers of the felt or other shrinkable material to the lines and contour of the lastthereby giving the shoe a perfect shape and at the same time compelling the inner felt sole or sock lining with its inner pad or cushion insole to project upwardly into the tread ot the shoe without any ridge or seam along the exterior What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following, 'viz The method of making shoes composed of felt or other shrinkable material, which consists in stitching to-the lower edge of an upper'about the heel portion thereof the heel edge or an insole and the upper edge of a welt, said-welt extending-about the heel portion of the shoe only to form a pockettor a heel pad, then stitching together the lower edge ot the upper and the edge of the insole forward of the heel portion of the shoe, then securing a padding on the inner side of an outer sole, then placing the outer sole in proper position beneath the inner sole, then inserting a heel pad in said pocket, then attaching the edge of the outersole to the lower-edge of the welt and the edges of the inner sole and upper forward of, the heel portion of the sh0e, and finally shrinking the shoe so formed upon a hollow bottomed last.

JAMES A. ennnu. Witnesses: I I

Jor'nv G. Gow, VIM. S. lELWEL shoe or slipper right side out and line of the inner tread. 

